By José Néstor Ureta
TODAY, we celebrate 70 years of diplomatic relations with the Philippines that have seen, particularly since the return of democracy in both our countries, a path of constant growth in the ties between our peoples.
Since Aug. 27, 1948, Argentina and the Philippines have held numerous agreements on cultural cooperation, sports, trade, investment, political consultations and cooperation between both diplomatic academies. Other agreements are also in advanced stages like educational cooperation, exchange in tax matters and agricultural cooperation.
The Philippines is a special friend in Southeast Asia. The affinity between our countries goes back to our common colonial history. Hispanic culture and the Catholic faith continue to act in the idiosyncrasy and values of our peoples, notwithstanding the geographic distance of a hemisphere separating us.
We consider culture and education to be vital tools to promote mutual knowledge and bilateral cooperation. This year, our Embassy in Manila develops an important cultural agenda with various activities in the areas of film, dance, literature, photography and music.
Argentina gives great importance to South-South Cooperation. In this respect, we celebrate the excellent relationship between both countries, which has materialized in different and successful technical cooperation projects in recent years in the agricultural, forestry and livestock sectors, through the Argentine Fund for South-South and Triangular Cooperation (FO.AR). We hope to expand this cooperation in such critical areas as child mortality, gender-related violence and natural disasters.
We celebrate the excellent cooperation in agricultural sector. We must continue to work closely and explore new fields, such as production of organic rice, milk, dairy products and ecological fishing.
Economic cooperation and commercial exchange, although important, have not yet reached their full potential. There is plenty of room to increase and diversify trade flows between both countries.
We give importance to the relationship between our respective Diplomatic Academies, materialized from the cooperation agreement between our “Instituto del Servicio Exterior de la Nación (ISEN)” (Argentine Foreign Service Institute) and the Philippine Foreign Service Institute (FSI), signed in 2011. We promote the reciprocal diffusion of academic articles under the current agreement and we consider, first and foremost, the exchange of young diplomats from both countries.
We also consider sports cooperation as a tool to promote greater knowledge among our peoples and increase exchanges of sports technicians, athletes and also promote a positive agenda that can encourage work opportunities related to sports, within the framework of the bilateral MOU signed on Sept. 14, 2012. The promotion of soccer for children in peripheral regions of Manila developed by the Argentine Embassy is an example of the value we give to foster understanding and the development of activities that bring us closer in this area.
Tourism is one of the most important areas to raise awareness among our cultures and increase personal contacts. Even when our destinations are unknown to the general public, among the ASEAN countries, the Philippines is the largest source of tourists in Argentina and the flow of Argentine tourists in the Philippines is increasing. We must continue our efforts to impart to each other the exceptional natural beauty, architectural and cultural properties of both countries.
We consider ASEAN a key region in the growth dynamics of Asia in recent decades. Through a diverse, fruitful and mature relationship maintained with its member countries, Argentina identified a wide margin to advance in the relationship with ASEAN, both in terms of international policy issues and in relation to the increase and diversification of our trade with the region. In this regard, Argentina is particularly grateful for the support of the Philippines for signing my country’s accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) in Singapore on Aug. 2, 2018.
At the same time, I would like to highlight the special importance that MERCOSUR gives to ASEAN. Both regional blocs have worked hard to intensify interregional dialogue through the exchange of information and points of view of their respective integration processes. We need to deepen common efforts to identify areas of common interest for our future dialogues.
Another framework that finds us united with the Philippines in our joint cooperation is FOCALAE (FEALAC). Argentina considers FOCALAE (FEALAC) as a forum of great relevance in its relationship with the Asia-Pacific, in particular to promote dialogue between two geographically distant regions and that present a great cultural diversity. We are strongly committed in continuing to cooperate at both the public and private levels in the different subjects dealt with by the various working groups, as well as in the identification of new projects of interest.
The Philippines is a nation that we feel very close to, with which we share a similar aspiration and determination to build a better and fairer future for our peoples, within a framework of peace, prosperity and international security.
Argentina is firmly on the path to strengthen bilateral ties, so I reaffirm our country’s commitment to intensify our best efforts so that this cooperation can be transformed into a deep partnership based on trust, solidarity and complementarity.
The conditions are given, we must take advantage of them for the benefit of our peoples.
 
José Néstor Ureta is Argentina’s ambassador to the Philippines.

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